Moving from Central, NJ to Norfolk- Chesapeake area (Virginia Beach, Hampton: real estate, transplants)

[Amazin Mets]

To all that will help,
I have lived in several states(NY, CA, FL, NC) and would like some information about Virginia(Norfolk) ! My favorite place was Raleigh, NC. Unfortunately I am unable to get a transfer back there. I am definitely a Northern guy, I was born and raised in NY. I would like to know how people react to (yankees). Raleigh had a huge NY influence and still had the southern hospitality that I love. Most of my family resides in Raleigh and has for some time. What I am saying is I don't want to be persecuted for the way I talk or teams I adore. I am married and have two young boys, so I am doing this for them. I want to put them in a good school system. I can't afford NJ and I am renting, even with the recent real estate market crash. The major reason I want to move is to be closer to my family and actually afford a home. The average home price here is around 500k, and taxes b/t 8-12k. This puts me out of almost any place in NJ, that has a good school system or nice area. I like to know if there are transplanted people from up north in the Norfolk-Chesapeake area. How much are the taxes in good areas and will I be able to find a newer home b/t 350-420? I mean no disrespect toward Southerners I just don't want to stick out. Raleigh was great, it had culture , diversity and large influence from the North. What I'm saying is that I want the best of both places. I would appreciate any help.
Thanks,
Mike

[Bong477]

A good public school system does not describe Norfolk. Some of the elementary schools are fine, but even the best school high school I would classify as "acceptable" at best. My wife did some sub'ing and student teaching at several of the schools so we're pretty familiar with the area. Granted that was about 5 years ago, but I don't think things have changed significantly. Chesapeake and VA Beach are better on average and have plenty of areas which give a nice suburb sort of feel to them which is what it sounds like you're looking for.

Your price range should get you a decent house in a good area, but its not going to be a huge mansion or anything. VA taxes will be less than you are used to in NJ.

As far as the yankee thing, Hampton Roads isn't the deep south. I don't think it will be a big deal. I don't think it has much of the southern charm either though. The biggest problem I had with the people there that I am happy to be away from was there is a lot of the stereotypical "ghetto"/welfare culture, particularly in Norfolk.

[Amazin Mets]

I appreciate the information, I would only be working at the port. I was advised not to live in Norfolk, to look into Chesapeake and VB. How is hurricane season, do you get hit a lot? How is the winters? Is this a good place to raise children, my children are very young? Outside of Norfolk is there any other areas to avoid?

What do you mean by this; there are plenty of this in NY-NJ!
"The biggest problem I had with the people there that I am happy to be away from was there is a lot of the stereotypical "ghetto"/welfare culture, particularly in Norfolk."

Thanks, for your help!
Mike

[Bong477]

There's that stuff in NJ, but I think its more prevalent in Norfolk unless you are comparing it to places like Camden and Newark (Norfolk isn't as bad as either of those cities though imo). There are very nice, safe, fun parts of Norfolk like the downtown area, Ghent and Larchmont. Just imo, probably not where you'd want to live.

I can't really help you with where to live in Chesapeake or VA Beach in enough detail to be helpful. VA Beach can be a little spotty, with some areas that are ridiculously nice, some that are pretty bad, and a whole bunch of in-betweens.

I think the area would be fine to raise a family in, provided you are looking for a suburban type of lifestyle rather than a rural or big city one.

Hurricanes aren't a big issue, in the eight years I lived there, the area got hit hard once (power out for a few days in most areas, lots of trees uprooted, some mild flooding but not widespread devastation) and had a couple other brushes that maybe closed school for a day or so but didn't cause any major damage. Winters are milder than NJ, colder than Florida. Snow happens occasionally but not often, maybe once or twice a year on average for an inch or two. Summers are hot and humid obviously.

[Erma]

I"ve been in VB for 21 years and the worst we've ever experienced was power outage and a few trees downed. Worse case scenario is no sewage when the pump houses go down in the neighborhoods. Snow...worse I've seen was 88 when we got 10 inches, but then it went away a couple days later and that was it. Mostly dustings, but our temps don't stay cold enough for it to stay or accumulate. VB school systems are the best of all the area cities. As I mentioned on one thread, Princess Anne High and Windsor Woods Elementary are fine schools.

[stltova]

You'll fit in just fine. This area is welcoming of all and there are a ton of NY/NJ transplants. You'll see Yankee/Mets/Giants hats, t shirts, stickers on cars everywhere. I know b/c I am a RED SOX fan and i feel right at home (born in Mass) with my fellow fans here in Virginia Beach!!!!

As far as housing, you'll find a decent (not huge) house for 420K and the taxes are not very high compared to other east coast states. They are .99 for every 1000 assessed in VB and 1.05 (or close to that) in Chesapeake.I prefer VB over Chesapeake and if you search the archives in this forum you'll find why people love VB and why others love Ches. For me, I want to be close to the beach, good restaurants and schools/activities. Chesapeake is not bad, by any means and I have friends who are very happy living there.

As for Hurricanes, i wouldn't worry too much. We have only been here for 18 months but our friends have lived here for 10 years and haven't been scared off!!! Heck, Suffolk just go hit by a tornado-those are way scarier than hurricanes!! (I lived in the midwest and we had warnings all the time in the spring).

Anyhow, this area is family friendly and the weather is quite nice. It has taken me over a year to applaud this area, but I really can now. The people are not as friendly as the Midwest, but they are far more friendly than the Northern East Coast!!!

Good luck!